Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Understanding the difference in each upper limb between age groups can provide deeper
insights into swimmers’ propulsion. This study aimed to: (1) compare swimming velocity and a set of
kinematical variables between junior and juvenile swimmers and (2) compare the propulsion outputs
through discrete and continuous analyses (Statistical Parametric Mapping—SPM) between junior and
juvenile swimmers for each upper limb (i.e., dominant and non-dominant). The sample was composed
of 22 male swimmers (12 juniors with 16.35 0.74 years; 10 juveniles with 15.40 0.32 years). A set
of kinematic and propulsion variables was measured at maximum swimming velocity. Statistical
Parametric Mapping was used as a continuous analysis approach to identify differences in the
propulsion of both upper limbs between junior and juvenile swimmers. Junior swimmers were
significantly faster than juveniles (p = 0.04, d = 0.86). Although juniors showed higher propulsion
values, the SPM did not reveal significant differences (p < 0.05) for dominant and non-dominant
upper limbs between the two age groups. This indicates that other factors (such as drag) may be
responsible for the difference in swimming velocity. Coaches and swimmers should be aware that an
increase in propulsion alone may not immediately lead to an increase in swimming velocity.
Description
Keywords
Biomechanics Kinetics Performance Youth Propulsion Sensors
Citation
Morais, J.E.; Marinho, D.A.; Oliveira, João; Sampaio, Tatiana; Lopes, Tiago J.; Barbosa, Tiago M. (2022). Using statistical parametric mapping to compare the propulsion of age-group swimmers in front crawl acquired with the Aquanex system. Sensors. ISSN 1424-8220. 22:21, p. 1-9
Publisher
MDPI